PSC Clarifies Court Ruling On Officers’ Retirement, Denies Reinstatement

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has clarified reports circulating in the media regarding a recent judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in the case of ACP Chinedu Ambrose Emengaha & Ors vs Police Service Commission & Ors (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/28/2025), delivered on 30 September 2025.

In a statement issued by its Press and Public Relations Unit, the Commission described as inaccurate the claim by Sahara Reporters that the court ordered the reinstatement of 196 police officers, including AIG Idowu Owohunwa, CP Benneth Igweh, and DCP Simon Lough, allegedly dismissed over age falsification.

According to the PSC, the judgment delivered by Justice R.B. Haastrup merely reaffirmed earlier rulings of the National Industrial Court which upheld the legitimacy of the officers’ original appointment dates and restrained the Commission from altering or reviewing them.

The court’s key declarations include that the claimants’ dates of first appointment cannot be reviewed by the defendants and that officers from Cadet ASP Force Entrants Courses 18, 19, and 20 who have not attained 60 years of age or 35 years of service remain excluded from the Commission’s January 2025 retirement directive.

The judgment also granted perpetual injunctions restraining the PSC and other defendants from further tampering with the employment status of the affected officers or revisiting issues already settled by earlier court rulings.

However, the PSC emphasised that “nothing in the above decision of the court specifically orders the reinstatement of the officers as alleged by Sahara Reporters, or specifically mentions any other officer.”

The Commission further noted that some of the officers named in the publication — including AIG Owohunwa, AIG Igweh, and DCP Lough — have a separate case pending before the same court (Suit No. NICN/ABJ/88/2025), which is yet to be determined.

The PSC stated that it is currently studying the court’s decision and may exercise its right to appeal, depending on legal advice.

Reaffirming its commitment to due process, the Commission said: “The Police Service Commission is a responsible organisation guided by the rule of law and will not do anything to undermine the sanctity of the judiciary.”